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Here’s Why Kim Jong-un Suspended Nuke Testing

The South China Morning Post, citing two separate groups of Chinese scientists, reports that Mount Mantap—into which the Hermit Kingdom had been burrowing to set off test detonations—has collapsed, putting the entire region “at unprecedented risk of radioactive exposure.”

The report states:

“One group of researchers found that the most recent blast tore open a hole in the mountain, which then collapsed upon itself. A second group concluded that the breakdown created a ‘chimney’ that could allow radioactive fallout from the blast zone below to rise into the air.”

The report notes that the research team led by University of Science and Technology of China-Hefei geologist Wen Lianxing has concluded the collapse occurred following North Korea’s most powerful nuclear test on Sept. 3 of last year. The explosion created a void of roughly 650 feet in diameter that was filled in by landslides from a large section of Mount Mantap’s ridge.

Three subsequent earthquakes in the region are the result of the loss of geologic stability in the mountain.

A second team, led by Jilin Earthquake Agency’s Liu Junqing, came to many of the same conclusions but has determined that some of the radioactive remains from the blast have been exposed by the collapse of Mount Mantap’s summit. Both groups are urging more scientific monitoring—including direct inspections by experts—to prevent an ecological disaster.